I Know You're In There
by Lesbian Pop Culture
Summary: She had never invaded Elsa's space before, she knew better than to come in without her permission. Her parents had taught her as much, but Elsa was more important than privacy, more important than respecting her late parents' wishes. Frozen if Anna had opened the door. Elsanna, one-shot.


The rain felt cold against Anna's skin as it washed through her auburn hair, leaving trails of water across her face. It felt heavy as it accumulated in her cloak, pulling her down, suffocating her in its grasp, like the raging ocean devouring a ship. Her parent's ship.

The funeral lasted an hour, or maybe it was two. Anna had stopped keeping track of time early on. The citizens around her mourned the loss of their King and Queen as Anna stood before them, the priest by her side reading off some scriptures that could never mend the numbness within her. She couldn't remember the faces of the Arendelle citizens who had given her their condolences, telling her how much they would miss the King and the Queen. How they would have wanted her to be strong for them.

Their words echoed through the grey sky, fading away like the color on her cheeks.

She wished she remembered how to cry.

"Anna, please, give this to Elsa," the priest whispered when the last black-clothed citizen had left the rock-lined hill. It was a single flower, her mother's favorite shade of lavender. Anna held the delicate flower, cradling it from the icy rain. "You must be strong for her; the kingdom of Arendelle rests on her shoulders now". He patted her back gently as he turned away, leaving her alone with her parents' graves.

Anna sat with the large stones for what felt like forever, watching the rain trickle down their hard surface into the silent grass. Everything around her felt quiet as the sun set across the mountain landscape. She found herself thinking of her sister. Anna knew that what she was going through must be nothing in comparison to Elsa. Elsa was alone, now baring the entire weight of Arendelle on her shoulders.

Anna had tried for years to break through Elsa's closed doors, her need to be isolated from the world. Anna knew that this time, it wasn't enough to just give up on Elsa.

Anna stood up from the hill, a new determination burning within her. She couldn't let Elsa be alone anymore. Not now, not ever again.

The velvet carpet felt frozen under Anna's feet as she walked through the castle. No one tried to stop her, to talk to her as she passed. The glass walls surrounding her felt like a prison, she wondered if Elsa felt the same way. She grasped the lavender flower in her hand tightly as she stood before Elsa's door. The carefully painted wooden surface felt cold as she approached it slowly.

With a moment of hesitation, she knocked once. Twice.

"Elsa, I know you're in there. Please, just let me in."

Anna reached for the door knob for the first time in her life. She had never invaded Elsa's space before, she knew better than to come in without her permission. Her parents had taught her as much. Her bare hand shock in anticipation as she opened the door. Elsa was more important than privacy, more important than respecting her late parents' wishes.

Anna entered the room without a word, closing the door behind her as her eyes widened in shock. The cold touched her hands, and then her face, sending cold burns through her skin. The air glowed blue with the frost that covered every inch of the room. Icicles and powder lined the ceiling, with static snowflakes hanging in midair throughout the room. Elsa's bed and wardrobe were indistinguishable from one another under the thick layer of snow.

Elsa was curled up in the center of the wall just opposite her, with dark grey cold burns radiating from the spot she was rooted in, her navy blue dress and jacket contrasting the whiteness of the room and her snow-white hair. She cradled her arms, trying to make herself small among the chilled atmosphere. As soon as the door clicked shut, she looked up, her tired eyes widening in a panic.

Elsa stood up quickly, her hands gripping the window behind her in fear, "Anna! You can't be here!" The window instantly froze solid, and whipped the snowflakes around it into motion.

Anna stood her ground as she saw Elsa's fear mirroring her own at the scene before them. The auburn sister breathed in the cold air and stepped forward, letting her fear melt away. Elsa wouldn't hurt her. Elsa needed her.

"I'm not leaving, Elsa. I need you, and I know you need me too," Anna whispered as she pressed forward.

"I don't want you to see me like this! I'm-I'm a monster!" Elsa cried out as the snow thickened, swirling harder against Anna's skin. "You're not a monster!" Anna called back as tears rushed down Elsa's face.

"Anna, please, I-I don't want to hurt you." Elsa said in desperation. Anna squinted her eyes and stretched her arm out in front of her in an attempt to see through the storm. She was only a few feet away from her now.

Anna stepped forward and reached her arms out again, grasping Elsa's hands into her own. Her eyes met Elsa's, "You're not a monster. I'm here now, I know it took me a long time, but I'm here. You don't have to be alone anymore."

The snow began to slow as Anna locked eyes with Elsa, their blue reflecting her own. Anna looked down at their hands, the lavender flower wedged carefully between hers and Elsa's. "See, it's a lavender flower, just like the ones mom used to love," Anna choked out, feeling the weight of her sadness for the first time.

Anna fiddled with the stem of the flower and tucked it into Elsa's white hair, just behind her ear. "See, it's going to be okay," Anna said softly, wiping the tears from Elsa's face with the sleeve of her dress.

Elsa's eyes softened for a second as they rested on her sister's red hair. She reached out to touch her hair as Anna had touched hers when the white strand fluttered into her gaze. "No." Elsa pulled away suddenly at Anna's touch, the memories taking hold of her. She held her arms against her body as she stepped backward. "Anna you don't understand, I can't stop this," she motioned to her room and the cracking ice around her. "I can't protect you from this – from me."

Icicles began to fall from the ceiling as Elsa's fear grew stronger, crashing against everything surrounding them. Anna jumped back as a huge block of ice hurled against her, knocking her to the ground. The snow pelted her harshly, slamming her against the floor as Elsa stood back in fear.

"Anna!" Elsa screamed as she watched her sister fall.

"It's okay, I'm not afraid of you, just let me help you." Anna wobbled as she stood up, her legs injured from the falling ice. Elsa moved forward quickly, catching her sister before she fell again. "I know you're hurting over this, but please don't close me out, you're all that I have left."

Hot tears continued to stream down Elsa's face as she looked at the crumpled body of her sister, "Why do you keep trying? Why can't you just let me be? I can't stand to hurt you, I don't know what I would do if I lost you too."

Elsa supported Anna in her arms, and the younger sister reached to hold Elsa's face in her hands.

"I'm not going anywhere, I want to be here with you I-Elsa- I love you." Anna breathed, stroking Elsa's cheek.

Before Elsa could stop her, Anna pulled her face closer to the blonde's, pressing her lips against Elsa's. Anna kissed her slowly, weaving her fingers into Elsa's white hair, pulling her in. Elsa closed her eyes at the warmth, breathing in the auburn's scent, her arms still supporting Anna.

Elsa stood with Anna draped over her and her eyes opened as the snow around them began to melt. "The snow," Elsa whispered, her eyes wide in disbelief. "And you-you kissed me."

Anna breathed out as she pulled back, her hands still tangled in Elsa's hair. "Is that ok?" Anna asked sheepishly.

Elsa nodded quickly, her cheeks growing warm as the snow surrounding them disappeared from the room. Elsa looked down at her feet, which now rested on purple carpet instead of icy sleet, her mind still reeling from what was happening. "I've never been able to control it before, this is the first time I've been able to stop it. Mom and dad always told me I could stop the powers, that I could stop it—they—" Elsa stopped, the tears rushing down her face again in realization.

"They would be proud of you," Anna reached for Elsa's hand and squeezed it gently. "To be honest I have no idea what just happened with, you know, all the snow and ice and magic," she motioned to the room and her sister, "but I want you to know that it's okay, that I'm here now. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

"And we can just forget about that whole uh," Anna coughed, "—kiss – thing if you want too."

"We don't have to," Elsa replied with a slight smile, holding Anna's hands in hers once more.

"Oh, ok. That's good, that's great even!" Anna smiled as she embraced Elsa, wrapping her arms around her neck. "So, not to be pushy or whatever, but, heh, could we do that again?"

A smile crept across Elsa's face.

"Sure."


End file.
